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CD outputs, use RCA, XLR or digital?


Coytee

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Title says it all.

I've seen a cd player, I think it was "Esoteric" brand and as I recall from a brief look at it, I think it had both RCA and XLR outputs. I do NOT recall if it had digital out, but it got me to wondering.

If you have all three outputs available, AND if you had a preamp that had all three inputs (I do not), which would you presume would be the best method to use?

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If it said "Esoteric" on the CD player I would definately use the RCA's or the XLR inputs if they are available, not the digital out. A Estoteric's internal DAC's are going to be extremely hard to beat, especially in a preamp.


Good advice. With my low-end Yamaha DVD/CD player, I have both the RCA and the digital coaxial cables connected to the receiver. The RCA cables go to the CD RCA input, while the digital cable goes to the DVD digital input. This means I can switch back and forth at the push of a button.

That way, when the input is set to DVD, I'm using the DAC in the receiver. When it's set to CD, I'm using the DAC in the player. Some CDs sound better with one, some with the other. Most of the time I use the receiver's DAC.
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A very good friend of mine has an Esoteric 50 DVD player. It is a high end player and very detailed. I don't want to describe the sound because it has so many upsampling settings that you can tailor it to your system and room. Quite a player, and at a $5000 retail it should be, although that is their entry level player. That's why I say that you don't want to run it into the DAC in a receiver. Its too bad the Esoteric does not have a digital input for his music server.

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You could always as the manufacturer, he would know better than most.

A very good idea. A dealer once tried to sell me a used Cary amp as a great unit --- except Cary told me its frequency response had been custom shaped to be part of a triamped system!!

You can't beat talking to a good manufacturer about such things!

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except Cary told me its frequency response had been custom shaped to be part of a triamped system!!

Hmmmm...that doesn't make any sense unless it was designed as a specific amplifier in a triamped system (like just the tweeter or just the woofer).

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Hmmmm...that doesn't make any sense unless it was designed as a specific amplifier in a triamped system (like just the tweeter or just the woofer).

Exactly -- that's another way of saying what I said (or tried to say) -- the point is that it would have been totally unsuitable as the only amp in a system.
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